I do not own Teen Titans.
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Chapter 14: An Explanation
All Titans View's
Taen was on the ground still, tired as could be. Raven had a firm grip on him though, and she would not allow him to collapse completely. She placed her arms under him, trying to hold him up. He was much heavier than she thought though, and she almost dropped him as she stood up. Raven quickly used her powers to gain her balance, and looks cast a sideways glance at Taen. His eyes were closed. She led him to a wall, leaving him against it.
"Taen?" She questioned nervously. He didn't answer. Raven listened for breathing. There it was, quiet and shallow. She let out a deep sigh before raising a hand. She quickly chanted her words, and a rush of water show up. She directed it at Taen, splashing him in the face a little. He coughed a few times as he woke up, staring Raven in the eyes. He was out of it, that much was obvious. Raven shook him a few times, and Taen's eyes slowly focused.
"Okay, now you have my attention," He mumbled. Taen pushed Raven back away from him, then stood on his own weekly. He started to fall, but caught himself before it was too late. Taen straightened up, cracking his back and neck loudly. He lifted his hand, staring at the wound on it. Taen made a fist, wincing slightly at the pain that greeted him. When he had fully regained his ability to move on his own, Taen walked over to where Sai had fallen, and looked down.
"I don't suppose he came back up for a chat?" Taen said with a smile. Raven let out a deep breath of relief, smiling back. It was good to see Taen smile like that again. She walked over to join him, looking over the side and trying to see a floating body. It was pitch black. Even if Sai was down there and alive, they never would have known it. He was dead. Who survives something like a stab through the gut? No one, or so Raven hoped.
"I guess we should get moving. Find the others. I haven't seen any of them," Taen said, picking up his sword and putting it away. Raven suddenly remembered something. She had a very vague memory of Sai speaking in her head of Starfire. "Starfire and Robin are here," Raven said. Taen stared at her blankly. "And you know this… how?" He asked her slowly. Raven bit her lip. "Sai told me, inside my own head. He saw her himself. In fact, they're probably waiting for us," Raven answered. Taen opened his mouth to speak, but shut it quickly. He seemed to get the point. "Lets move then," He said, and began to walk towards the narrow hallway out.
"You think those bombs are going to go off soon?" Raven asked, rushing to catch up with Taen, who was speed walking his way out of there. Her boyfriend shrugged, scratching his head. "I've got a feeling they haven't even been set to go off yet. I think Slade is still waiting for something," Taen told her. Raven went to object, but stopped herself. It was just like Slade to do that, so she wouldn't be surprised. After all, it had been several hours, and there were no explosions. Well, not yet at least.
"You don't think that Slade is after Robin still, do you?" Raven asked Taen. Slade always had an unhealthy obsession with Robin. He was always after the Boy Wonder, wanting him to be his apprentice. Raven didn't think he was after Robin this time though. She thought that Slade was only after destruction now, and Taen obviously agreed, because he shook his head. "Not for a second. Slade wants out of Jump city, and into bigger and better places. He's ready to do some real damage, with or without Robin," Taen answered, saying it as if he really knew the answer was true. He suddenly stopped, turning and holding onto Raven.
"No matter what happens Raven, I want you to stay away from the bombs. Let me handle this alone if I have to. I can't let anything happen to you," He said quietly. Raven felt a sudden flood of emotions come over her. Sadness, happiness, love… everything went through her in an instant. She hugged him tightly, not wanting to let go. She would obey him, just to make him happy. But she still didn't like how it sounded as if Taen thought he would have to die to save her. She looked up at him, and he looked down at her. She stood on her tip toes, giving him a quick kiss. "I love you," she said as they broke apart. Taen let her go, holding her hand. "I love you too," He said back. Then they continued the rest of the way.
"Friends!" A jovial voice yelled as they walked through the exit of the walkway and ended up in a large room. Starfire flew forward, wrapping her arms around both Taen and Raven at the same time and gripping them in a tight hug. The others laughed as they watched, then walked over to join Starfire. Cyborg and Beast Boy looked at the two happily, while Robin stood in the back, a small smile on his face. He walked forward, then shook Taen's hand.
"You made it," He said. Taen nodded his head with a grin, releasing Robin's hand and folding his arms. "And Sai?" Robin asked. Taen grinned wider. "Oh, I finally got him," He answered. Robin nodded, then tipped his head to the side. Taen caught his drift, and walked away from the group. "Yeah?" He asked the Boy Wonder. Robin pointed at the door behind them, the big metal one that they had been unable to move. "This thing in unbreakable. We haven't even made a dent. I was hoping you could help us with that," Robin muttered, eying a camera that he had just noticed in a corner. "Sure, no problem," Taen replied, standing in front of the door and checking it out.
"Rob, what's he up to?" Cyborg asked, walking over and standing behind Taen. Beast Boy followed. "It looks like he's going to try out that door… tell me he's not gonna try," The changeling said. Robin didn't answer, but he did smirk in reply. "Dude! When Star blasted it, it shot it right back! Are you insane? His blast will kill us!" Beast Boy yelled. Robin laughed, and Starfire put a hand on Beast Boy's shoulder to calm him. "I am sure that Taen knows what he is doing," She assured him. The green teen calmed, but that didn't stop him from hiding behind the rest in turtle form.
Taen paced back and forth, his eyes never leaving the door. He walked up to it, tapping on certain sections. He smiled as he hit one, the noise sounding off louder than the rest of the door when tapped. He back up slowly, stopping a few feet in front of the other Titans. Taen raised a hand, looking back. "You may want to cover your ears," He told them. Taen turned back to the door, and a sudden rumbling took place. He fired quickly, a huge yellow beam ball coming out of nowhere, crackling with energy as it sped at the door. The sound was deafening as it connected with the door, and the metal split in two, a huge hole appearing as the energy ball exploded in a blinding flash of light. The Titans slowly regained their sight and hearing, then looked to observe Taen's handiwork.
"Woah," Raven said before she could stop herself. Looks like Taen had found a weak spot in the "invincible" door, because there was now a whole big enough to fit even Cinderblock through. Taen lowered his arm, once again almost collapsing. The blast had taken more energy out of him then he had wanted to lose. He stood up slowly, then led the way through. The Titans followed, and they were met by yet…
"Another door?!? Aw man!" Beast Boy whined. There was another huge metal door, and Taen grumbled as he raised his hand again, aiming at the same spot. The Titans covered their ears and closed their eyes tightly, preparing for another explosion. But it never came. "What happened?" Cyborg asked. Taen pointed ahead of them. "It uh- it opened," He answered. The big metal door was wide open, and inside was a dimly lit room. The Titans stepped in slowly, and the door slammed shut behind them all. Cyborg's human eye began to water as he stared around the room.
It was full of technology. Machines filled the room from top to bottom, from left to right. "What is this place?" Starfire asked. "I'll tell you what it is… it's heaven!" Cyborg yelled, running from machine to machine. He checked each one quickly, making mental note of what they were. Everything was very advanced, like nothing he had ever seen. Some of the metal wasn't very familiar, at least not on Earth. "Stek," He mumbled as he ran his hand across one machine. He had no idea what this one was. It was large, with two pods on it. Wires went every which, some of them gold, the others silver. He looked at the next machine, which was like a walk in closet, big enough to fit two people. Looking down, he saw a panel, which read off some coordinates. He had no idea what those meant.
"So Cyborg, any news?" Robin called from across the room. The half human walked back over to the team, shrugging. "Not much. A few normal machines here and there, and some unidentifiable ones. A lot of these are made out of Stek metal, or that's what it looks like," Cyborg answered. Robin nodded, then stared back at the computer screens he had been watching. There was on that caught his eye. It was out in the now brightly lit morning desert, and it was focused on… "The bombs," Robin mumbled, realization hitting him like a ton of bricks. If he just knew where they were. Robin turned to give some orders, but his head snapped back as he heard loud steps in the distance. A door opened behind a platform above the Titans, and a figure walked out. Slade looked down at them. "Welcome, Teen Titans…"
The Titans stared up at Slade. Some of them nervous, some of them angry. Robin looked Slade in the eye, hatred filling him. This man was the reason he had died. This man was the reason for so much. And, if Robin couldn't stop him, this man would be the reason that thousands of people lost their lives. "Titans, ready!" He yelled. Cyborg turned his arm into a cannon, taking aim. Taen and Raven both raised a hand, ready to blast. Starfire flew up a few feet, hands glowing. Beast Boy changed into an eagle. Robin stood in front of them all, hands on his hips.
"Titans g-!" "Wait, just one moment…" Slade said quietly. Robin stopped, hand in the air. "I'm sure you want to hear about the bombs… in fact, I'm sure you want to hear much from me," Slade said. Robin could tell he was wearing a smirk, but he lowered his arms, and the Titans relaxed. Robin watched as Slade made his way down the metal steps, turning around them and standing in front of the team. Slade placed one hand on his bo staff, looking at the team, staring at Robin in particular. Then he began to speak.
"There's so much to tell, it makes it difficult to decide where to begin. I believe that the start of this ordeal would be the best. Yes, back when you all escaped my clutches in the dream world," Slade said, a hint of anger in his voice. "After everyone had gotten out, I began to plan straight away. However, my powers were fading, and I believed that I would need them to defeat you all. No matter what I tried though, I could not stabilize the energy of Sinister. But then the Stek metal was discovered, and some of it was kept here, in Jump city. I decided that I had to steal some myself, to study it, so I broke in to where they were keeping it. I was not the only one going for this though, as I found a nearly familiar face there," Slade said, his sights setting on Taen.
"Sai," The alien said. Slade nodded. "Your former friend was there, trying to take back the metal. Apparently, his weapons were gone, and he was looking to make a new set of sais. We fought, and I defeated him, asking him why he looked so much like you, Taen. He replied that he was of the same race of alien. Intrigued, I took him back here, to my new lair, where he explained everything. When he mentioned the amazing ability of the Stek metal's power to be an almost living substance, I wanted to hear more. But first, we had to steal some. I offered to train him in return for knowledge on this astonishing metal, and soon me and Sai stole as much as we could, Sai himself stealing more when I required it," Slade continued.
"Get on with it," Robin growled impatiently. Slade held up a hand. "Quiet, much has happened in the past weeks. Now, with the metal we had, we created Sai a new pair of sais, and me a new pair a of gloves. I believe you know what they are capable of," Slade said, chuckling as Robin lightly touched his stomach. "Soon, I had created an experimental machine, that had the capability to transfer powers. Hooking myself and Sai up to this machine, I gave my powers, or should I say Sinister's, to Sai. It was a success, though the powers were still slowly disappearing. Soon, only the ability to controls dreams remained, and we decided we would need it for our plan," Slade said. Cyborg looked over at the two pod machine, wondering if that was what they used to give powers.
"We melted down the Stek metal, then took a large amount of it. While it was hot, we injected it straight into Sai's body. He did not die, as he thought he would. Instead, the metal somehow fused with him. It made him naturally tougher, as well as somehow stabilized Sinister's powers. We had done it… we had reached our goal," Slade said, laughing quietly. He was truly a mad man. Slade walked by the Titans pressing a few buttons on the controls near the camera screens. They now all focused on the bombs.
"I began to build these bombs while Sai observed you all. He slowly developed an infatuation with Raven, watching her the closest and invading her dreams. Though I punished him for it, we began to use this as a way to make Raven paranoid. I almost wanted you to all believe I was up to something, but the girl never said a word about the dreams, at least not to all of you. Then, as she and Taen went to Praysair with Sai following, I used Cinderblock, Overload, and Plasmus, to stage an attack. It was a success. We recovered any and all Stek metal, not to mention killed off you, Robin," Slade said. The Boy Wonder glared, but allowed him to continue.
"Then I completed the bombs, keeping close surveillance on all of you. Little did you know, I had placed a temporary camera inside of your friend Cyborg's brain. He would never notice," Slade said. Cyborg clamped a hand up to his red eye. "I saw what you were all planning, and made Sai be ready for Robin and Taen. Then I got my other minions to prepare to take the rest of you. But obviously, you shocked me. Not only did you manage to defeat Sai in the dream, but you beat the others as well. You amaze me Titans… Of course, I believed that we still had an advantage, as Sai took over Raven's mind with yet another of my Stek inventions. Of course, Taen found a way around that, and supposedly killed my apprentice. And now you are all here…" Slade finished. Robin looked around. "And the bombs?" He asked. Slade turned back to the screen.
"As for those… they have not been set to go off, not yet. When they are set, it will not be for very long. They can be defused, rather easily in fact. But of course, I will not let you get within a distance to do that. No, not even close," Slade said. Robin raised a hand, and the Titans readied themselves. "And if we stop you before they're set?" The Boy Wonder asked. Slade narrowed an eye, leaning forward. "Try me," He whispered. "Titans go!" Robin yelled.
Beast Boy pounced, in Tiger form. He claw swiped twice, Slade easily dodging both, his arms crossed. The changeling jumped into the air, and Slade hopped up, kicking Beast Boy in the side and knocking him into a machine. He landed, ducking as Starfire flew at him. He came back up, grabbing on to one of her feet and spinning around. Slade tossed her into the air, and the Tamaranian girl hit the ceiling, falling back down and landing in Robin's arms. Slade gazed at the remaining four. "Surely, you can do better!"
Cyborg lunged at Slade, blasting at him. His enemy turned his head to the side, dodging it. Cyborg punched, Slade moving left and right to move out of the way, making the half human grow tired. He grabbed Cyborg's fist, stopping his punch and throwing one of his own. The machine teen fall down, grabbing his face painfully. Raven chanted her words, lifting up a large machine and tossing it in Slade's direction. Slade jumped into the air, landing on the box and running along it. He jumped down, kicking Raven in the chest and sending her sprawling across the floor. Then he turned to face the others. "Four down, two to go," He said. "Both at once," Taen mumbled. "No, I got this!" Robin yelled. He charged in, and Slade quickly backhanded him across the face and to the floor. 'Looks like it's up to me…' Taen thought nervously.
"Join me, Taen. You're so much more powerful than Sai ever truly was. I could give you things that you always wanted," Slade said. Taen smiled. Slade was just trying to trick him. "Nice try," He said, taking out his sword and preparing to fight. "Your loss," Slade told him. Taen sliced the air, and Slade ducked, spinning around and getting behind Taen. He swept his leg around once, tripping Taen to the ground. His sword flew into the air, and Slade stood up quickly, catching it and bringing it down to Taen's throat. "Maybe I was wrong," Slade said. Taen narrowed his eyes and looked around. No one was moving but him, not good. Slade raised the sword, and prepared to strike.
A cry of fury was heard from the side as Sai went of Taen's neck. Robin dove over a row of machines, his bo staff out and extended. It got to Taen before the sword did, and Robin stopped the weapon several inches before his friend's throat. Slade glared at Robin. "You should have let him die, it is inevitable," Slade growled. Robin grinned, raising his staff and knocking the sword out of Slade's hands. "No, it isn't," Robin replied. He put his staff away, and Slade glanced back at the machine that Cyborg had seen the coordinates on. Before he knew it, Robin had been grabbed by Slade, and he was thrown roughly into the metal boxlike machine. "Teleporter, go to coordinates!" Robin just barely caught a bewildered look from Taen, before he disappeared in a flash of green light.
The Titans all got up slowly seconds later. Taen helping Cyborg up from the ground. Beast Boy walked over to the machine. He stepped inside, looking all around. "No… I don't think they're in here," He said. "Then where?" Cyborg asked in a worried tone. There was silence for a moment when… "There!" Starfire pointed to the camera's where the bombs were. Robin and Slade were out there now, standing across from one another and clearly talking. "It was a teleported," Taen told them. They watched as Slade walked over to the bombs, pressing a few buttons, and they saw Robin start to yell. The Titans exchanged nervous glances. The countdown had begun.
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Damn, I really missed having something with spellcheck on it. I swear, my old computer like wouldn't support spellcheck or anything of the sort. It just feels good to be able to write on something that isn't wordpad or whatever. As usual, I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter. I liked it. Finally got some things explained, not to mention snuck in a few paragraphs of action. On the story forecast, look for light dialogue and heavy action next chapter. Woah, past six AM. Funny, I feel wide awake. Oh well, time for breakfast maybe? Depends on the conditions upstairs. Anyways, thanks for reading. Review please.
Next Chapter: The Titans find their way to the surface, where they think of a plan to rescue Robin. Can they get to Robin in time to stop the bombs and save their friend?
"I would stop time to stay with you…"
-Sinfire